EASA:  European Association for Studies of Australia

In the wake of various European conferences dealing with aspects of Australian studies, the European Association for Studies of Australia (EASA) was founded at a meeting in 1989 at the Sir Robert Menzies Centre for Australian Studies in London. The aim of the Association is to promote the teaching of, and research in, Australian culture and studies at European tertiary institutions by providing regular information for individuals and institutions about activities, resources, and visiting experts, and by putting scholars working in comparative isolation at many universities in touch with each other. From the start the Association members have covered a wide range of subject areas across the disciplines.

The Board of EASA is always constituted with a view to a ‘good spread’ across the map of Europe, so that regional representation is adopted as far as possible. Thus, so far Presidents have been from Bologna, Berne, Toulouse, Klagenfurt, Bergen, Roskilde and Barcelona. Within Europe some countries (e.g. Britain and Germany) have their own associations for Australian studies with which we maintain relations.

At present EASA has a fairly steady membership of about 150 people, of whom currently around 80 are from Europe, working at 113 different institutions in 27 countries.

Courses with a significant portion of Australian studies content are being regularly taught at universities in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, and others.